BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Last month 7 News told you about a check for more than $300,000 that was sent from the Erie County Clerk's Office nearly two years ago.
The check was fraudulent and instead of being paid to a New York State entity, the recipient was Get Mobile LLC. The real check was stolen somewhere along the way and the fraudulent check was made.
After a criminal investigation, Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns announced that the funds from that check had been recovered in full.
He released the following statement:
“Thanks to the joint efforts of the offices of the Erie County Clerk, Comptroller, District Attorney, Bank of America, M&T Bank and the United States Secret Service, the stolen money from the intercepted check made payable to the State of New York Mortgage Agency's Insurance Fund (SONYMA), in the amount of $326,456.16, has been recovered in full.
I want to thank all agencies and law enforcement for their efforts and the public for their patience and trust in this investigation. The Clerk’s Office has already instituted new security measures, including electronic transfers, in our continued focus to safeguard taxpayer dollars.”
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn released the following statement:
“Today, the District Attorney’s Office received an update from the U.S. Secret Service on the investigation into a fraud scheme involving a check issued by the Erie County Clerk’s Office. A hold harmless letter was issued by a bank, which stated that the entire sum of $326,456 in missing taxpayer money will be returned to the bank account for Erie County.
A check issued by the Erie County Clerk’s Office to the State of New York Mortgage Agency in March 2022 was intercepted by an unknown individual. The check was forged and fraudulently re-directed the money to “Get Mobile LLC.” The funds were withdrawn from the Clerk’s Office bank account after the counterfeit check was deposited into a business bank account in Maryland.
Our office referred the case to the U.S. Secret Service who was able to further trace the bank transactions. After the counterfeit check was deposited into the business bank account, the Secret Service determined that the money was converted into a cashier’s check, which was sent through the United State Postal Service to an address. The cashier’s check was never negotiated or deposited into another account, so the stolen funds remained held by the bank.
While this remains an ongoing investigation into the person or persons responsible for this crime, I am pleased to announce that this stolen money has been located and will be returned to Erie County.”
Erie County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick and Kearns joined 7 Voices in February to discuss the fraudulent check. You can watch the full conversation below.
READ MORE: Erie County Comptroller and Clerk discuss counterfeit check that cost the county over $300,000
